The Speaker

Corey Pegues, a Queens New York native, is a retired NYPD Deputy Inspector as well as an Author, Motivational Speaker, Community Leader, and Expert on police related topics. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the United States Army where he served almost four years as a Medical Specialist. After his honorable discharge from the Army, he enlisted in the New York State National Guard, where he spent the next 14 years of his military career. Corey entered the New York City Police Academy in January 1992. After graduation, he was assigned to the 114th Precinct, located in Astoria, Queens. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant five and a half years later. Corey was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 2002. In 2006 he was promoted to Captain and after only 11months, he was transferred to Police Service Area #2 where he was assigned as the Commanding Officer. In 2008, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly promoted Corey to the rank of Deputy Inspector. Inn that same year, he was assigned as the Commanding Officer of the 67th Precinct. In January 2012, Corey was assigned to Patrol Borough Brooklyn North. After 21 years of exemplary service as a decorate law enforcement professional, Corey retired in April 2013.

The Workshop

When Good People Write Bad Policy: Discriminatory Bans and Prohibitions Don’t Work : Wednesday, October 04, 2023 10:30A

Several states and municipalities are proposing to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes. Smoking is bad and tobacco kills in addition to the debilitating effects of nicotine addiction and need to prevent youth from smoking. Prohibitions and flavor bans have been spotlights in the national media. This proposal seems race-neutral. But over 85% of African Americans who choose to smoke prefer menthol cigarettes while most White tobacco consumers prefer unflavored tobacco. To draw up a ban only against products favored by people of color seems not only unjust but also remarkably insensitive. Giving officers even more reason to detain and engage on the basis of a flavored tobacco ban, including menthol, would assuredly lead to encounters that are likely to escalate to the unnecessary use of force, arrests, and possibly deadly force.

The unintended consequences of bans and prohibitions need to be better understood by public policymakers contemplating passing legislation that will directly impact the interactions between members of communities of color and law enforcement officers. This session will explore the laudable intent of the public health community to decrease the use of tobacco products by communities of color, address the serious concerns of youth using tobacco products, and how to stem the tide of youth use of e-cigarettes, and will expound on the lived experiences and expertise of leading Black law enforcement professionals on the unintended consequences of bans and prohibitions.